Rate and update my workout routine please

Bigger Stronger Leaner
1

Good day everyone

I am new to this board, so let me introduce myself first. My name is Alex, I am 40 years old and had around 5 years of gym in the past. I never had much interest in training with others in a crowded gym, so I bought myself some home equipment. I am 178cm tall and only 72kg, means I do not have much fat to get rid off. I do have a genetically metabolism “problem”. I need to take in A LOT of calories just to keep my weight. That is why I use weight gainers instead of pure protein shakes. My goal would be to add a few kgs of muscle mass, but it will be hard. So my main goal is to build up strength and take as much bulk along the way as possible.

Another problem is that due to an accident to my lower spine I lost the ability to tip toe and never did any sort of rehab for it. Now my calfs are close to none. Strength is completely gone and I have to start with resistance bands. All leg workouts are of lower weight for me, if calf is a key muscle.

I now own a power rack with dip station, plate loaded lat tower, chestpress addon, landmine addon and smith machine. A few barbells and dumbells. Just ordered a machine for hyperextensions.

That is all I got and I would like to get as much out of it as possible.

I tried a few exercises in the past and some worked great for me while others did not.

My body responded better to a back shoulder and chest legs split compared to a full body or push pull workout. My previous routines were created by a man who owned his own gym and went for competitions. Sadly he past away a few years ago.

So…I tried to piece together a few things which are possible for me to train in my home gym. All these exercises I responded well to.

Day 1 Back – Shoulder – Biceps – Abs Sets and Reps

Romanian Deadlift 10/8/8/6/6

Good Mornings 8/6/6/6

Hyperextensions 10/8/6

Pullups Wide Grip 10/8/6

Lat Pulldown 10/8/6/6

Seated Cable Rows 10/8/6/6

Military Press 10/8/6/6/6

Upright Rows 10/8/6

Dumbell Curls 12/10/8/6

Crunches 50/50/50

Day 2 Chest – Legs – Triceps – Abs Sets and Reps

Benchpress 10/8/6/6/6

Benchpress Decline 8/6/6

Chestpress 8/6/6/6

Squats Barbell 10/8/6/6/6

Calf Raises 20/20/20/20/20

Crunches 50/50/50

Triceps Pressdown 10/8/6/6

Triceps Rope Pressdown 15/15/12

Day 3 Back – Shoulder – Biceps – Abs Sets and Reps

Romanian Deadlift 10/8/8/6/6

Good Mornings 8/6/6/6

Hyperextensions 10/8/6

Pullups 10/8/6

Lat Pulldown 10/8/6/6

Rows Barebell Bent Over 10/8/6/6/6

Landmine 10/8/6/6

Lateral Side Raises 15/12/10/8/6

Shrugs 15/15/15/15

Barebell Curls 12/10/8/6

Crunches 50/50/50

Day 4 Chest – Legs – Triceps – Abs Sets and Reps

Benchpress Incline 10/8/6/6/6

Chestpress 8/6/6/6

Squats Barebell 10/8/6/6/6

Calf Raises 20/20/20/20/20

Crunches 50/50/50

Triceps Pulldown 10/8/6/6

Triceps Rope Pressdown 15/15/12

I am unsure of what makes sense and what is redundant from this list. Also reps and sets might need adjustment.

Thank you very much

2

How many calories? What are your macros?

What kind of progress have you made in the past 6 months?

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3

If your goal is strength, which you alluded to in the OP, then your workout is a bit excessive. It seems more like a bodybuilder routine.

If you have gotten past noob gains in a Linear progression, you do need more volume, but if those workouts have any weight to them, you would kill your cns and not experience any strength gains.

Obviously if you never fully realized an LP, that is where you should start.

I am past the LP, and there are many ways to up the volume with two exercise days for each major group, such as a heavy/volume day with antagonistic workouts. I use heavy squats followed by speed deads, and then Heavy deads followed by speed squats three days later

I use bench and rows together, and press and pullups also.

You could add accessories that make sense to those days, but attacking the big muscles and not overloading the system is the hardest balance to achieve.

If you are pushing weight and are drug free, i would avoid three days in a row. I also dont worry about trying to fit the whole regimen in 7 days and just let the workout go in blocks

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4

Something like this is redundant

Also a little more info would be nice regarding the previous back injury.

My concern after reading how you have things programmed. More specifically the amount of work volume your lower back is having to deal with directly and indirectly

Especially with a possible lower back issue and age.

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5

I agree.

Also agree. Put them on different days or change the rep range on one as an assistance movement.

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6

AFTER.. rereading your post i have a few questions.

And does this condition have a medical diagnosis and a name?

You say “ A Lot” of calories, how much would that be exactly?

How exactly are you tracking those calories you are intaking?

So are you saying that you have little or no ability to planter flex your feet at all? :thinking:

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7

I cannot bend my toes unless I use my hands to bend them. I cannot tip to or do calf raises with my body weight. My calf flexed is nearly as good as some soft rubber.

Calories I tried to calculate many years ago. I eat healthy, no shits. Lots of noodles, rice, chicken, fish. I eat many meals a day. 3-4 warm meals and during workout I use weight gainers. Probably 3500kcal and more? I could try to calculate it for you. All this does not gain me weight. It just helps to maintain.

My medical diagnosis I would like to keep for myself. I do not need any medication for it, as it does not harm me

8

At the age of 16 I broke my knee and had a tendon rupture on the left side. It took 9 month to recover. I started workouts at 18 and had pretty good shape around 21/23 years old. After that studies and job killed my time. I neglected sports until around 37 years old. Progressively I adopted a bad posture and my lower spinal cord started to trouble me. Never had it checked and neglected it further.

One day when I was around 30 or so I was asked to tip toe, only to realize that I was not able to. No doc could help me. I now know that due to bad posture I skipped using most of my calf etc. one led to another. So currently I have to start from the very beginning and try to get back a functional muscle group haha. Shit happens

9

Thank you very much. I am drug free. I only use weight gainer.

I should have mentioned that after I work shifts, so I take the days as they come. It might be two days or three days in a row and a day or two off. It is uncertain.

More volume and heavier means more sets, less reps

10

I assume around 3500 per day? Never calculated my food. I use scitec jumbo green, eat noodles, rice, sometimes potatoes. Chicken or fish, seafood. Fats and sweets are not my type of food. Other than that no additional gainers, shakes etc

11

So you dont know for certain. It might be 3500 one day 2000 the next.

If you are having to eat 3500 cals if your active to maintain bodyweight isnt some outrages amount.

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12

I do not expect such a big gap, since our cooking is stable nutrition wise. Perhaps around 2600-3700? I just calculated it online. I was just amazed because, again from calculations I should land somewhere around 2700 per day to gain. Even without sports I never gained weight from meals. Food is a big topic. I might adjust it some more and use additional nutrients once my workout is up and running

13

I’m with @bulldog9899 across the board here.

Are you saying you went to doctors for your back and they were baffled on possible diagnoses? Or that they couldn’t find an underlying root (pun, because it sounds like a nerve root compression issue) and you mutually determined it’s a symptom of a sedentary lifestyle?

In any case, all 4 of your training days are lower back intensive (2 of them very much so). I wouldn’t think most 15 year olds would handle that well, let alone us middle agers.

It sounds like you probably want a bit more precision in you diet. 1000 calorie swings are so much variance as to have no average daily caloric intake. There are apps now where you just take pictures of your food to log the calories. I am certain they aren’t perfectly accurate, but they’ll be better than no idea. I also find just the act of tracking for a bit forces us to become aware of what we’re actually eating, and start to make adjustments.

If your goal is to get stronger, do you have an appetite to just pick one of the dozens (maybe hundreds) of programs on this site and run it? It’s nice to be able to just trust something and put your effort into execution.

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14

Thank you very much so far. I will have a look at these apps and start using it. Also will thin out the lower back exercises

15

Wait, so your calves don’t flex? Your day 2 has calf raises. I guess I’m just confused.

I recommend Cronometer for tracking. Solid free app.

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16

I use Therabands or rubber balls to press against while sitting on the floor or bench until one day I might be able to do calf raises again

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17

I’m also having a tough time understanding what’s going on here. It doesn’t seem to be the primary concern, though.

Were I in OP’s shoes, personally, I’d:

  1. Follow a pre-written strength-focused plan
  2. Develop a consistent baseline of caloric intake (either through tracking or eating the same thing every day), so I had a variable I could reliably control
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